Chapter 3
A Strong Bond, Possibly Love
The trio stands before the dark armored servant. She looks so serious and so powerful. Ritsuka-chan stands there in worry. She wonders if Mash will stand a chance. But the Demi-servant has a determined expression on her face. She takes a few steps toward Saber, readying her shield. Saber charges straight ahead and swings her sword downwards to shoot out debris toward Mash. The Demi-servant quickly evades the attack and charges toward Saber. She swings her big shield at her to hit her, but it doesn't make her budge. Mash grits her teeth and tries again. She swings back and forth and then thrusts forward for a final hit. But it still doesn't make her budge. Saber retaliates by swinging her sword at Mash. But the violet haired servant blocks it just in time and pushes it back, making Saber stumble back. She then hits Saber overhead to hopefully stun her a bit, which worked. She swings her shield back and forth again and then thrusts forward. However, Saber recovers and swings her sword to knock Mash's shield back and then slashes her when she finds the opening. Mash gets knocked off her feet and falls to the ground.
"Mash!" Ritsuka-chan cries, but Director Olga casts a spell to create a barrier between them. "What are you doing!?"
"You'll just be in the way," Olga says. "This is your servant and it's her job to fight and protect you."
"But she'll get pummeled out there if I don't do something!" the redhead argues.
Saber swings her sword to hit Mash again and then shoulder tackles her, knocking her off her feet again and dropping her shield. Mash struggles to her feet again and attempts to pick up her shield. Ritsuka-chan knows she won't last much longer. Saber continues to fight, hitting her shield and then Mash when she finds the opening.
"What's the matter?" the dark king shouts. "Feeling a little old? I was starting to think I was in for a challenge!" She swings her sword downward diagonally.
Mash tries to hold her ground this time, blocking the attack with her shield. But because of her being hit many times, she is losing her strength.
"Listen, I know how you feel…painfully so," Olga says.
"Then, let me help her!" Ritsuka-chan gestures toward herself. "She's my best friend!"
"You are also her master!" Olga snaps. "And she is your sworn servant!"
Ritsuka-chan trembles in fear as she watches Mash struggle against the powerful dark servant. Mash gets knocked down again, falling on her side. The redhead shuts her eyes tightly and looks away. She cannot watch this any longer. If she dies…then it's over…
"Don't look away from her efforts!" Olga shouts, snapping the redhead out of it. "Look straight ahead! Hold your head high!"
Ritsuka-chan looks toward the director. Fou leans in to give her a little lick on the cheek.
"What are you doing as a Master?" Olga continues. "That should be your only concern."
Ritsuka-chan realizes that the director is right. She cannot stand there and be a wimp. This is a very serious matter and she must be there to support her servant, Mash, whatever it takes. She puts on a determined face and looks ahead.
Mash struggles to her feet again, holding her shield as support. However, she is unable to fight. All she can do is defend herself. Saber glares at the Demi-servant and starts to glow. Director Olga and Ritsuka-chan gasp at this, knowing very well at this great power rising from this dark servant.
"Mash, hang in there!" Olga cries as she steps forward, but the barrier disappears.
Ritsuka-chan uses this opportunity to quickly run to Mash's aid.
"Wait, Fujimaru!" Olga calls. "Come back! Fujimaru!"
Mash grits her teeth as she is about to witness the great power of the dark servant. Is this going to be the end for her? She's too weak to even dodge the attack. Maybe it's better for her to surrender and admit defeat. She is clearly no match for Saber. As Saber raises her sword high, Mash closes her eyes, beginning to flash back the first time she and Ritsuka-chan met.
**Flashback**
"Who are you?" Ritsuka-chan asked as she looked at the purple haired girl, standing before her.
"I'm…probably someone not worth mentioning…." Mash said, shyly.
"Voldemort?" Ritsuka-chan asked.
**Then, Later**
"My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru~" Ritsuka-chan said, holding out her hand. "Sorry I didn't make a good impression~"
Mash stared at her hand for a minute or two.
"Well, come on~" Ritsuka-chan said. "It's a hand, not a shark~"
**End of Flashback**
Saber grits her teeth. "I shall take you down with all of my power!" Her sword bursts into flames. "EXCALIBUR…MORGAN!" She swings her sword down and shoots out purple flames toward Mash's shield.
The power of Saber's Noble Phantasm. Mash successfully blocks it, but it begins to push her back. Even if she tries to hold her ground, she cannot match against this much power. This might truly be the end of her.
**Flashback**
"Sorry, Sempai," Mash said softly as she hugged the redhead, resting her head on her chest. "Can I stay like this for a bit? You feel…so warm…"
"Oh, Mash…" the redhead whispered as she gently embraced her in return. "Okay. Just for a bit."
The two remained silent.
"Say, Sempai…" Mash broke the ice shortly after. "Do you think the sky was blue before this?"
Ritsuka-chan could only nod and keep Mash in her embrace.
**End of Flashback**
Mash closes her eyes as she can feel herself growing weaker and weaker. She is just about to let go of her shield and let herself be hit. However, before she does, she feels a pair of hands grab her cheeks and turn her head toward the person. And then…she feels lips connect with hers. Ritsuka-chan somehow is able to get to her and then..kiss her. But…this isn't just a kiss. Mash begins to glow light blue as she can feel power surging through her. She doesn't know why, but…now is not the time to question it. Ritsuka-chan has rescued her.
"Sempai…you're here!" Mash exclaims after the redhead pulls away.
"I believe in you~" she says. "And…I love you." She holds up her fist to show her Command Seals and it glows. One of the marks disappears. Mash can feel a lot stronger than before. She rises to her feet, gripping her shield.
"Watch what I can do now, Master…" Mash says with determination in her voice.
The shield glows and it creates a magical wall in front of them. Olga gasps at this.
"No way!" she says. "The Noble Phantasm!"
"Fou!" the little creature exclaims.
Saber's Noble Phantasm is still going, but it is unable to break through the wall that Mash created. She gasps as she can see the full power of this Demi-Servant.
"HAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Mash lets out a loud battle cry and pushes her shield forward.
It deflects Saber's Noble Phantasm right back at her, knocking her off her feet, finally. The wall slowly disappears shortly after and Mash lets out a heavy exhale, nearly dropping to her feet. But Ritsuka-chan catches her just in time.
"Easy there." she says.
Saber grits her teeth. Even if Mash showed her true power, she cannot lose to this Demi-Servant. She raises her sword again.
"That little brat!" she grunts. "You think you've won? Guess again!" The sword bursts into flames.
"I'm alright," Mash says as she stands straight up. "This isn't over yet. I must finish this!" With her newly found strength, she starts to swift to the right like she has super speed and then gets behind Saber.
"What!?" the dark servant gasps in disbelief.
Mash hits her back with her shield, having the Noble Phantasm cancel out and she stumbles forward. Saber turns around in anger. She and Mash charge at each other, blade clashing with the shield. Mash parries the attacks with ease and then thrusts her shield forward to make Saber stumble back. The dark servant growls and lunges forward. Mash dodges it and swings her shield to the right, hitting the armored woman. A piece of her armor breaks, surprising the dark servant.
"What the…!?" Saber gasps. "Such power from this girl…!"
"Haaaaaaah!" Mash raises her shield high and performs an overhead smash on the dark servant.
Saber dodges it by backing away and grits her teeth. Mash charges straight ahead, her shield ready. Saber charges as well, her sword pointed forward to stab the Demi-servant to death. But Mash thrusts her shield to break the blade.
"No….way….!" Saber says.
"Yeah!" Ritsuka-chan cheers, pumping up a fist. "Go, Mash!"
Mash swings her shield back and forth, breaking the armor piece by piece. Saber groans and grunts from each hit. Mash thrusts her shield forward hard to hit Saber and it breaks the rest of the armor, revealing a purple dress. The dark servant drops to one knee, weakened by Mash's strong attacks.
"H-how…!?" Saber breathes. "How can a little servant like you defeat me!?"
Mash puts on a serious expression. "One thing: love. My love for my Master and her loving me has given me new strength. Our bond is stronger than you would think."
Olga gives a smile and a nod. Mash has truly embraced her identity as a servant.
"Guh…!" Saber grunts and drops to both knees. "I see. That is the true power…of a Master and Servant…." She closes her eyes and begins to fade away.
Mash sighs in relief. Ritsuka-chan runs by her side and hugs her happily.
"We did it! We did it!" the redhead says. "Oh, Mash! You were so wonderful out there!"
"Sempai…~" Mash says softly and returns the embrace. "No, it's all thanks to you. You gave me the strength to defeat that servant."
"Ehehe! All I did was kiss you~" Ritsuka-chan says after pulling away. "What was that anyways?"
"That's called Mana Transfer," Director Olga says as she steps toward them. "Fujimaru, you have mana stored inside you, which will be very helpful in a servant's time of need. It holds such great power. It can help strengthen your servant, heal them or…possibly even bring them back to life. If your love for them is strong enough."
"Whoa…really?" Ritsuka-chan says.
"It's important to transfer your mana to your servant every once in a while," Olga says. "Just so that you can keep them supplied with good energy."
Ritsuka-chan gasps happily and turns to Mash, intertwining her hands with her own. "That's amazing, Mash! We get to love each other and I get to supply you with my loving energy!"
"Also!" Director Olga says, turning to Mash and smiling. "You did well for a tempt servant. I'm very pleased. However, I'm also surprised that the shield responded to you without knowing the name of the Noble Phantasm."
"It's because Sempai believed in me," Mash says, blushing. "And that made me believe in myself. That gave the strength to defeat the servant."
"Haaaah…well then, you still haven't thought of a name for your Noble Phantasm," Olga says and rubs her chin in thought. "Hmmm…what could be a good name. Oh, I got it! How about Lord Chaldeas? Since you're loyal to Chaldea anyways."
"Yes…that's a very nice name~" Mash says. "Thank you very much." She turns to her shield and rubs the edge. "Lord Chaldeas it is…~"
Just then…there is clapping echoing throughout the area. The three girls look around to find out where it is coming from. And then… a familiar voice is heard from high up.
"Bravo~" the woman's voice says. "Bravo! I never expected you to come this far!"
The three of them look up at the tall hill to see someone standing on top of it.
"No way…is that…?" Ritsuka-chan says.
"Professor Hanasaki!" Mash exclaims.
Director Olga gasps in surprise. Small tears of joy prickle at the edges of her eyes as she puts both fists on her chest.
"Oh, my gosh! Fujino! Fujino, you're alive!" The silver haired woman starts to run toward her. Fujino is far, but she doesn't care. "I am so glad you survived that explosion! I was so worried!"
"Yes…I was worried about you, too, my dear Olga," Fujino says.
"None of that matters anymore~!" Olga says. "All that is left is you and I. We can make it together! I can finally be with you and tell you how much you mean to me!"
The woman chuckles. "I'm flattered. But I am also furious that things aren't going according to plan." She clenches her fists. "You see, Olga. I was the one who caused all this."
"Wha…?" Director Olga stops running.
"It's a shame that you had to survive that explosion," Fujino says. "If it weren't for your clever magic tricks, Fujimaru and that servant, I would've had the grail for myself. I would've become the most powerful being on Earth."
"What…what are you saying…?" Olga gasps.
"Oh~" Fujino grins. "I would also like to point out that your precious Chaldeas is looking rather…heated up. If you're that curious, I shall show you what I mean~" She snaps her fingers.
A large portal appears and it shows the heated up Chaldeas, looking like the Sun now, flames appearing here and there.
Director Olga shakes in fear. "N-no…that's an illusion, right? That's just a virtual image, isn't it!?"
"No, it's the real thing," Fujino says. "I linked space and time for this to happen. Even the power of the holy grail shall make it happen."
In the control room, Da Vinci-chan and the rest are also shocked about this.
"Now then," Fujiino says. "I shall show you the power of Chaldeas…by having you as the volunteer!" She thrusts out her hand and it glows yellow.
Olga glows yellow as well and is being lifted off the ground. Ritsuka-chan and Mash gasp as they watch in horror.
"What are you doing!?" Olga cries.
"Simply demonstrating the true power of Chaldeas," Fujino says. "It's also like a black hole or better yet…like the sun itself. Once a human touches it, they will cease to exist. You'll experience a slow….and painful death…~"
Ritsuka-chan grits her teeth. "You monster! You can't do this!"
Mash quickly grabs her partner's arm. "No! Stay back! It's dangerous!"
"NO! Someone help!" Director Olga screams. "Help me!" She gets pulled by force from Fujino's magic toward the large ball of fire. "Fujino, why!? Why must you do this!? I…I haven't accomplished anything in my life yet!"
Fujino just grins evilly, watching the poor director get closer and closer to the flaming ball.
Heavy tears fall from Olga's eyes. She shakes her head roughly. "NO! I DON'T WANT THIS! PLEASE DON'T! I…I LOVED YOU, FUJINO! I WAS WAITING THIS WHOLE TIME TO CONFESS MY LOVE! AND NOW…!" She lets out a soft sob.
"This is good-bye…~" Fujino finishes.
It's like getting forced into a hot oven. Olga makes contact with Chaldeas and her body burns, making her scream in agony. Ritsuka-chan and Mash watch in horror as the life is being sucked out of the director slowly and painfully. Then, her screaming fades away as her body goes limp, her eyes close and she gets sucked into the ball of fire. There is silence shortly after.
"Director…!" Ritsuka-chan puts both fists on her chest, sobbing and tears fall from her eyes.
"A pity," Fujino says. "As for you, 48th candidate and Demi-servant. And lastly…Leonardo Da Vinci, are you listening?"
Da Vinci-chan gasps.
"First off, allow me to introduce myself once more~" she says, gesturing toward herself. "I am actually Mayuko Hanasaki. The great mage with a purpose. You see, listen closely: I have always wanted power and to rule over humanity. But…I was unable to because of Chaldea itself. I blended in just so I can get information and at least get my hands on the holy grail to obtain even more power than I ever dreamed." She grins. "The bombing was part of the plan, but I never knew that Olga would be this clever. Now that I got rid of her, all that is left is the 48th candidate and the Demi-servant~"
"I knew something was fishy about you…" Da Vinci-chan says.
"What are you going to do with us!?" Mash shouts.
"Actually, it's not me who will do anything," Mayuko says as she looks up at the sky. "The singularity itself will~"
All of a sudden, the ground shakes. Large rocks fall everywhere.
"As you can see, the singularity has reached its peek," Mayuko says. "Although, Saber gave me some trouble keeping this time period at ease, even while being awarded the Holy Grail." She chuckles and starts to levitate. "With that, our time is over. Leonardo Da Vinci, Mash and the 48th candidate…farewell to you~"
She floats high and disappears along with the portal. Debris continue to fall and rocks start piling up.
"Da Vinci-chan!" Mash yells as she trie to shield Ritsuka-chan and herself from the falling debris. "Rayshift us quickly!"
"I'm trying!" Da Vinci-chan says. "I just hope I will do this before you two get crushed!"
A large rock falls, making Mash and Ritsuka-chan jump out of the way. But the sheer force causes the ground to rise, having the two hurled into the air. Ritsuka-chan tries her hardest to get close to her servant.
"Take my hand!" she yells.
"Ah….Sempaiiii!" Mash reaches her free hand out.
It takes a bit of effort, but the two finally take each other's hand and as soon as there is a loud crash…they disappear.
**Chaldea**
Ritsuka-chan opens her eyes and jolts up to find herself on the bed in her room. Was it a dream? She looks at her command seals and one of the marks disappeared. That is proof that it wasn't. She lets out a soft sigh. So much has happened that she cannot comprehend most of it.
"Fou! Fou!" a cute voice snaps the redhead out of her thoughts. She turns to the little creature who is sitting on the chair.
"Fou! Oh, my gosh! Where's Mash?" Ritsuka-chan gasps.
The little creature starts to make a run for it. Ritsuka-chan quickly puts on her uniform and follows the little creature. They run until they get to the large room where Chaldeas is. It's wrecked from the explosion. However, what really catches Ritsuka-chan's eye is Mash. She's here and alive. And wearing her normal clothing. She steps toward her.
"Mash…~" she says softly.
"Sempai," Mash replies, turning toward her. Fou hops beside her. "Good morning~"
"Yes…good morning…" Ritsuka-chan steps closer and closer and then…embraces her.
"Eh…? What is that for…?" Mash asks.
"I want…to thank you…" Ritsuka-chan says. "For being a great friend…and also protecting me."
"And thank you…for loving me," Mash whispers.
They remain in each other's arms for about a few more seconds before hearing, "Ara, ara~"
Ritsuka-chan and Mash pull away to see Da Vinci-chan sitting on a broken debris, giggling.
"O-oh! Da Vinci-chan!" Ritsuka-chan squeaks.
"Nice to see you, too~" the Italian Artist and Inventor says. "Listen, great work out there. The Singularity Fuyuki has disappeared. However…" She looks up at the flaming Chaldeas. "Seven other singularities have been discovered. If we can somehow rayshift to these singularities, return history to its rightful form, we'll save humanity." She closes her eyes. "It's…a big risk. Not only for you, Fujimaru, but also for Mash. I don't like putting you in any more danger. But…you're our last master and Mash is the only servant we have." She turns to the two girls. "I will ask you this: 48th candidate Ritsuka Fujimaru? Are you…along with your loyal servant, Mash…willing to restore humanity?"
Ritsuka-chan gives a serious nod and takes Mash's hand. Fou hops on Ritsuka-chan's shoulder and licks her cheek.
"We'll do…whatever it takes to save humanity~" Ritsuka-chan and Mash say in unison.
Da Vinci-chan smiles. "Thank you so much. I'll be counting on you. Oh and also~" She gives a wink. "I am a servant too. So if you ever want me to come along, just ask. I'll have one of the staff members take the control room."
Ritsuka-chan and Mash nod. So begins the risky, but fun adventure for Mash and Ritsuka-chan. Master and Servant to save 7 singularities. It's their journey to fulfill….together.
**Later**
Da Vinci-chan finishes her latest painting. She holds it up and gives a nod.
"And you…" she says softly. "Fujimaru, Mash and I will miss you. We will never forget the days you were director."
She puts it back on the stand, staring at a finished picture…of Director Olga.
A/N: And that's a wrap. Kinda weird that I finished this when I was doing my Camelot adaption a while ago. But, this is what I got. If I butchered anything I'm sorry. I wrote what I could to make it a good story.
Feel free to leave a good review…for one last time that is!
